HEWES: Heisenberg-Euler Weak-Field Expansion Simulator

TL;DR

This paper introduces HEWES, a numerical solver for simulating quantum vacuum nonlinearities caused by high-intensity laser pulses, advancing the computational tools for studying quantum electrodynamics effects.

Contribution

The work presents a highly accurate numerical solver for the weak-field Heisenberg-Euler corrections, capable of modeling up to six-photon interactions.

Findings

Achieves order thirteen numerical accuracy

Supports up to six-photon interactions

Provides a tool for quantum vacuum phenomena simulation

Abstract

Vacuum polarization, a key prediction of quantum theory, can cause a variety of intriguing phenomena that can be triggered by high-intensity laser pulses. The Heisenberg-Euler theory of the quantum vacuum supplements Maxwell's theory of electromagnetism with nonlinear photon-photon interactions mediated by vacuum fluctuations. This work presents a numerical solver for the leading weak-field Heisenberg-Euler corrections. The present code implementation reaches an accuracy of order thirteen in the numerical scheme and takes into account up to six-photon interactions. Since theoretical approaches are limited to approximations and the experimental requirements for signal detection are high, the need for support from the numerical side is apparent.